Focus: People Management - How to ... plan for succession

Amanda Tincknell looks at the most effective ways of replacing key
members of staff to ensure continuity and development.

Look around your office. How many managers or members of your senior
team are under the age of 35?

In 2003, one study found that 31 per cent of local government workers
were over 50. The situation in the voluntary sector is unlikely to be
very different.

This means that, depending on the outcome of the current pensions
debate, employers including voluntary bodies could be faced with finding
successors to a large group of workers at the same time.

It's not only a dominant age group that can cause problems.

In lean voluntary organisations, especially small ones, flat management
structures mean many staff at senior levels are focused on service
delivery and don't have the opportunity to develop the strategic skills
they need for management roles.

Succession planning can help you look ahead and align your staffing
needs, individual development plans and training activities with your
strategy - and to be prepared when key colleagues resign their
positions.

Remember your business plan - where is your organisation going and what
are the skills you need to get it there? What are the important elements
of your culture and how do you need to reinforce them? It's not set in
stone - your succession plans will change as your strategy evolves.

Which jobs are critical? It might not be only the senior team whose
succession is important. Think about specialist roles, or jobs in fields
where recruitment is difficult, and make sure you have a plan for their
succession.

If they don't, start recruiting and developing key skills - ideally,
you'll get a workforce of talented people capable of fulfilling
different roles.

Succession planning used to be a secretive process. But if you have a
clear strategy, it's important to let your team know how that translates
into job requirements. Individual input about aspirations and ambitions
is important and can open up new options. Make sure you know before
incorporating them into your succession plan.

Think long term. Your succession plan should result from and contribute
to many other elements of strategic and HR planning. So be creative -
succession planning is a chance to introduce new ideas and continue
improvements in your areas of strength.

- This article is intended as a guide and is not a substitute for
specific professional advice. The Cranfield Trust is not responsible for
errors or omissions.

CASE STUDY

One small voluntary organisation was closely identified with its
founder, despite considerable growth and a strong management team. To
prepare for her retirement in two years' time, the charity decided to
review all its key roles to make sure they matched the business plan for
the coming five years.

A skills audit looked at the hard (functional) and soft (culturally
specific) skills it needed, and started to identify staff members with
strong potential for existing and future roles, as well as opportunities
to bring in new skills. The entire staff was made aware of the plan
developed by the senior team and encouraged to contribute through their
appraisal processes.

The founder, who had felt proud of but slightly trapped by her close
association with the organisation, was encouraged to review her role and
contribute to a specification for her job. This enabled her to be
confident that the organisation would continue to develop strongly after
her retirement.

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